ASP and ActiveX control client side - 101

Hi. I have never worked on a project that requires IE. So I have done the
vast majority of my work server side, delivering cross-browser compliant
HTML to the client. I am working on a bug fix to a system that is a munch of
ASP, ASP.NET with hard-core client side JScript, VBScript (client-side) and
ActiveX controls. The problem in question involves functionality that is
common to an ActiveX control delivered to the client. I have never
understood how the ActiveX control gets delivered to the client from the
server. So I came here to you helpful folks.

Let's say I have an ASP project that contains an ActiveX control. What do I
put on the server to ensure the control gets downloaded? A CAB file for the
control? How does the server deliver the control to the client? What could
prevent the control from making it to the client?

I do not even know for sure if these questions make sense. The weird thing
is that if a client hits the page which uses the control from one web
*server* it works fine. When the same client hits the same page on a
different server, they get an error that the Object doesn't support this
property or method. It is clearly a client-side VBScript error.

So if you have an app that is sitting on several servers behind a load
balancer, what signature is required on the control to tell the client that
it is the same one?

Anyway, I am fumbling a little, but sometimes when I ramble, someone has
some pointers to give me a push into directions to look at. The code on the
servers is the same. I checked that.

Thanks for your help.

S

"Stephanie Stowe" <NoSpam@IWishICould.com> wrote in message
news:em4idwIpEHA.1576@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Hi. I have never worked on a project that requires IE. So I have done the
> vast majority of my work server side, delivering cross-browser compliant
> HTML to the client. I am working on a bug fix to a system that is a munch
> of
> ASP, ASP.NET with hard-core client side JScript, VBScript (client-side)
> and
> ActiveX controls. The problem in question involves functionality that is
> common to an ActiveX control delivered to the client. I have never
> understood how the ActiveX control gets delivered to the client from the
> server. So I came here to you helpful folks.
>
> Let's say I have an ASP project that contains an ActiveX control. What do
> I
> put on the server to ensure the control gets downloaded? A CAB file for
> the
> control? How does the server deliver the control to the client? What could
> prevent the control from making it to the client?

A CAB or the OCX.  You reference it with the codebase property so the client
knows where to get it.

> I do not even know for sure if these questions make sense. The weird thing
> is that if a client hits the page which uses the control from one web
> *server* it works fine. When the same client hits the same page on a
> different server, they get an error that the Object doesn't support this
> property or method. It is clearly a client-side VBScript error.
>
> So if you have an app that is sitting on several servers behind a load
> balancer, what signature is required on the control to tell the client
> that
> it is the same one?

It's the control's version number - that should be included as part of the
codebase in your client-side code for the object.  The client looks at the
version installed versus what the code says.

> Anyway, I am fumbling a little, but sometimes when I ramble, someone has
> some pointers to give me a push into directions to look at. The code on
> the
> servers is the same. I checked that.

Here's an example:

<OBJECT id=control1 name=control1
codeBase=http://server/controls/control.cab#Version=2,6,3,2 >

--
Tom Kaminski IIS MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsser...ty/centers/iis/
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
http://www.iisfaq.com/
http://www.iistoolshed.com/ - tools, scripts, and utilities for running IIS
http://www.tryiis.com

"Tom Kaminski [MVP]" <tomk (A@T) mvps (D.O.T) org> wrote in message
news:cj90v7$8t4@kcweb01.netnews.att.com...
> "Stephanie Stowe" <NoSpam@IWishICould.com> wrote in message
> news:em4idwIpEHA.1576@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... 
the 
munch 
do 
could 
>
> A CAB or the OCX.  You reference it with the codebase property so the
client
> knows where to get it.
> 
thing 
>
> It's the control's version number - that should be included as part of the
> codebase in your client-side code for the object.  The client looks at the
> version installed versus what the code says.
> 
>
> Here's an example:
>
> <OBJECT id=control1 name=control1
> codeBase=http://server/controls/control.cab#Version=2,6,3,2 >
>


Sweet. Thanks.

> --
> Tom Kaminski IIS MVP
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsser...ty/centers/iis/
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> http://www.iisfaq.com/
> http://www.iistoolshed.com/ - tools, scripts, and utilities for running
IIS
> http://www.tryiis.com
>
>